Hunter Bryant’s release opens door for Alizé Mack

Hunter Bryant’s release opens door for Alizé Mack at tight end for the Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions recently waived tight end Hunter Bryant with a non-football injury designation.

Bryant joined the Lions as an undrafted free agent immediately following the 2020 NFL Draft. From the start, he was projected to make the final roster as the team’s third or fourth tight end behind T.J. Hockenson, Jesse James, and Isaac Nauta.

Unfortunately for the undrafted rookie, a lingering hamstring injury sidelined him for most of training camp and kept him on injured reserve until Week 13.

His rookie campaign was a quiet one, but he made sure to make his one and only reception count. In the Week 15 loss to the Tennessee Titans, Bryant made a spectacular catch on a 44-yard throw by Matthew Stafford. In 2020, he was targeted three times on his 25 offensive snaps.

So how does his release impact the Detroit Lions’ roster?

Hockenson will still be the top option at tight end and newly-signed Josh Hill will be used primarily as a blocker. Behind them are two young players: Alizé Mack and Hunter Thedford.

Mack may be the most likely to win the backup tight end job given both his skill set and familiarity with head coach Dan Campbell.

While Campbell was the tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints, they selected Mack out of Notre Dame in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Though he only stuck around on the roster until the end of September, it’s clear that Campbell saw something in him and wanted to kick the tires on the young tight end.

Mack had bounced around from practice squad to practice squad in 2019 and was unsigned in 2020. Despite never appearing in a regular season game, he does have a strong athletic profile and could be a good choice for a young player to develop on the roster over the next season.

In many ways, Mack is a very similar player to Bryant. He plays more like a big-bodied wide receiver than a prototypical tight end in the NFL and can use his size to his advantage to beat defenders on deep routes. He was used often as a vertical threat at Notre Dame and could easily be used in that same role in Detroit.

Thedford could also be an option should the Lions opt not to roll with Mack as a backup. Thedford is a 6-foot-8 blocking tight end who would be used primarily as a blocker in the run game. He played three years at SMU before transferring to Utah and later went undrafted in 2020. He’s a raw prospect that fits Dan Campbell’s mold for a blocking tight end and could stick around if the coach sees something special in him.